kinship

This month at UCM we are considering kinship. Here’s a spiritual practice to build connections.

Build up your sense of being part of the whole – a sense of kinship with all that is – simply through being mindful on your daily commute. Whether you drive, take the bus, or use the train to head into work; or take the same route daily to drop the kids at school, or have a regular routine to head to the gym, or walk the dog, use that daily travel to practice kinship.

Make an effort to be hospitable, welcoming and respectful to all the life you meet on this regular commute. Smile, wave or nod at the people in the other cars, at the cardinal perched in the tree, at the dog barking in the window. If you can, take a moment to wonder about their lives, or simply look them in the eyes and smile. If you use a car to commute and get frustrated by other drivers, try to slow down and make space, let them into the lane with a wave. Try to remember that we are all in this together, and make an effort to connect, even in a small way, with some of the other beings on your daily commute.

Even if you feel a little silly, keep on with this intention for as much as you can over the month. Relationships take time to develop, but if others share your schedule, over time you will become familiar to each other. Be present and try to connect with your kin.

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Unitarian Universalism's key symbol is the flaming chalice, the living light. But our chalice also holds the healing waters of community and the diverse flowers of the earth; it can even be empty, bringing us to the mystery. The chalice is empty the way the universe is empty – vast but all encompassing.

The empty spaces - the silence - allows us to hear the music, take a breath, ground ourselves. It brings us back to all the quiet undercurrents that connect us and all the beings on the earth.

The Rev. Fiona Heath is a UU minister with the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga, Ontario.